Wrong About You
by XenaLives
Summary: This story is inspired by the scene in 04 x 04 where Paige is swimming at the school alone at night (odd and, herein, explained) and Emily surprises her by showing up. The look of alarm and apprehension on Paige's face when she hears the doors open is so awesome and the scene is so fabulously lit it just begs for something awful to happen. Find the scene on YouTube to set the stage
1. Chapter 1

Paige pounded on the double metal doors of the natatorium of Rosewood High. The night shift custodian was expecting her but she didn't know if he'd be near enough to hear a simple knock. She shrugged the strap on her kit bag up a little higher and glanced around the parking lot while she waited, bouncing up and down on her toes with nervous energy. Hers was one of only two cars. She parked up near the building where it was well lit. Two minutes ticked by and she raised her fist to let fly another volley when she heard movement on the other side of the door. The doors swung open and the custodian greeted her with his usual nod and held the door wide for her.

"Thanks for letting me in." Paige walked past. "I hope I'm not keeping you from anything too exciting."

"Grimy urinals and overflowing trash bins aren't going anywhere." he replied as he walked off to continue whatever thankless task he stopped to come open the door.

It was some version of their usual exchange on the one night a week Paige had been granted after hours access to the pool. Since her acceptance and scholarship to Stanford, Coach had been more than accommodating about letting Paige in for extra training.

Paige dropped her bag by the side of the pool, pulling her towel out to lay it on top, and kicked off her flip flops. She quickly stepped out of her warm up pants and unzipped her jacket. She didn't like to use the locker room at night and always came dressed in her suit. The water, unbroken since this afternoon, was like glass and the black lane markings at the bottom of the pool were distinct and unwavering. The white and blue floating lane lines were still and straight. The overhead fluorescent lights were kept off at night and the only light crept around the corner from the doorway to the parking lot, indirect floor lights from around the sides of the deck and the underwater fluorescents.

It was beautiful and a bit eerie. Paige dipped her foot in and watched as the ripples made the reflected light dance and flicker along the walls and ceiling. Paige suspected the reason Coach let her use the pool was equal parts encouragement and support for her swimming career and the hope that Paige's success in college and beyond will bolster the reputation of the Rosewood swimming program, perhaps, leading to a bigger budget in the next year or two. Whatever the reason she was grateful for these nights and hoped no one would think to check up on her. If they did they might discover that she didn't use this time to train but to swim for herself. Ever since that first swim with Emily 'for fun' she knew she had to make an effort to keep things in perspective. To never let herself get too caught up in the competition lest it take her over and smother her love for swimming.

On these nights Paige didn't use a watch or clock, she didn't time her laps or try to beat any personal best. She didn't use the starting blocks. She didn't even wear her swim cap or goggles. She loved the feel of the water streaming through her hair and, without goggles, she was forced to keep her eyes closed allowing a heightening of her other senses.

As she slipped quietly into the water she smiled at the cool feel of it lapping at her skin. She began slow, smooth strokes easing into a relaxing rhythm. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Breathe. She swam lap after lap. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Breathe. She felt her mind clear and her muscles loosen from the tensions of the day. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Breathe.

Paige estimated she had been in the pool for the better part of an hour when she glided to a stop at the shallow end. She touched the wall and gathered her feet under herself to stand slicking her hair back out of her eyes. The clang of the metal doors sounded thunderous and her head whipped toward the wall leading to the exit, eyes wide in alarm. Her heart quickened as she waited to see who was coming in. Seconds passed without another sound but the hum of the filters and the water lapping gently against the wall.

"Hello?" She called out tentatively. "Is someone there?" When she didn't get an answer she decided it must just have been the custodian. She was ready to head home anyway and ducked under the lane line and headed for the stairs. Paige grabbed her towel, quickly drying off and tied her wet hair back off her neck. A door slammed. This time an interior one and she turned, squinting into the dim light, in the direction of the sound.

"Who's is that?" She called trying for annoyed but, to her own ears, sounding uneasy. Still no one answered as she took a few steps toward the doors leading to the outside her wet feet slapping quietly on the deck. She peered around the wall to the doors. There was no one there.

She jumped as she heard a soft splash from behind her and whirled back around to the pool. Her heart pounded now as she noticed something on the surface of the water. She walked closer to see a kick board floating lazily and bumping lightly against the edge of the pool.

"Who's in here?" She shouted, her voice made much louder by the water and echoing through the space. "Quit screwing around!" Her heart raced and her breath came short and quick. She just wanted to get out of here and took a step toward her bag when she heard a rustle of movement behind her. She started to turn when something hard and heavy slammed into the side of her head. Pain exploded behind her eyes and she toppled into the water with a soft moan.


	2. Chapter 2

Paige plunged sideways into the pool reeling from the blow to her head. She opened her mouth to cry out and took in a mouthful of water. Her arms and legs felt like lead weights as she struggled to right herself and take a breath. Her head broke the surface and she gasped for air but the water, churning from her fall and flailing arms, forced it's way into her mouth and lungs. She reached for the side only to meet air and then water. She coughed and gagged going under again unable to find anything solid to anchor herself. Her chest burned and her head seared with pain as she felt consciousness slipping away.

Paige was only fractionally aware of the hands grabbing at her arm and pulling her to the edge of the pool. The hands slipped under her shoulders, dragging her out over the edge to lay on her side on the deck, vomiting water and panting and gasping for air. She rolled onto her back and felt a cool hand on her head and neck. Everything seemed so quiet.

"You know I may have been wrong about you, Paige." A girl's soft voice spoke and a hand smoothed the hair off her face.

Paige struggled to open her eyes to the voice. Her vision swam and her stomach turned over at the effort. She caught a flash of blonde hair under a red hood. She moaned and rolled her eyes up. "Wha...hap..?" She slurred.

"Shhhh...It's okay." A calming hand lay across her head. "Help is on the way."

Paige watched the blurry head turn toward the door then look back at her. She tried to focus on the face. She knew that face. The girl's impossible image swayed in her vision. "Ali...Alison?" She whispered.

The girl looked down at Paige for a long time. "You really love her don't you?" The voice crooned softly. "I wish I could have loved her the way you do. The way she deserves."

"How…di...you..." Paige gasped for air and for words. She could focus on nothing but the pounding in her skull as a door slammed somewhere far away.

"You two look good together." The girl smiled down at Paige and continued to stroke her head. "But if you hurt her you'll answer to me." The girl said sweetly before placing a kiss on Paige's forehead. "In this life and the next." Then she was gone.

The blinding pain intensified and Paige was barely able to turn her head before vomiting again and letting the pain drag her away into the relief of unconsciousness.

Paige furrowed her brow and groaned at the sound of someone calling her name. There was a cool hand on the side of her neck. Her skin felt hot and flushed as the pain made itself known again.

"Paige...Paige!" The voice was insistent. "Come on. Talk to me. Paige!"

Paige dragged her eyes open a crack and dark wavy hair fluttered in front of her. "Em…?" She breathed."

"No." The voice was relieved. "It's Spencer." She replied. "What the hell happened? Can you sit up?"

Paige struggled to get her hands under her and pushed herself to sitting with tremendous effort and help from Spencer. She groaned and leaned to the side as waves of nausea twisted her guts.

"Are you going to throw up?" Spencer held a supportive hand to Paige's back.

"Umm...no…" Paige concentrated on breathing deeply and slowly. "I think I'm okay." She was starting to shiver.

"You're totally not okay." Spencer moved to Paige's bag and grabbed her warm up suit. "That must have been some fall." She helped Paige get her arms through the sleeves of her jacket and zipped it up for her. "I guess that's why you're not supposed to run around the pool, huh?" She tried to joke as she helped guide Paige's legs into the pants while seated.

"Fall?" Paige squinted her eyes shut and shook her head, confused, causing the thrashing in her head to worsen. "I didn't…" She gulped a breath. "...I didn't fall…" She remembered fully now. "There was someone here…" She tried to stand.

"Whoa, whoa." Spencer helped her get unsteadily to her feet. "Take it easy. Go Slow."

"No, Spencer!" Paige gripped her arm. "There was someone here. Someone hit me...and…" She put a hand to her head and winced as she touched the swelling, purpling bruise at her temple. "...I went in the water…" She took a staggering step toward the door. "We have to get out of here."

Spencer jumped to put a steadying arm around Paige's waist as she tried to walk on rubbery legs. "Alright. Slow down, Paige, seriously, before you fall over." Spencer moved to help Paige to the doors. "I'll drive you to the hospital. You need to get checked out. I think you may have a concussion."

They walked slowly to the double doors leading out to the parking lot with Paige leaning heavily on Spencer. Spencer shoved on the metal cross bar to open the doors. Locked. She tried the adjacent door. Locked.

"What the hell?" She guided Paige down onto a bench in the entryway and went to try pushing on both the doors again. "God, that's just perfect! Are your keys in your bag? I'll go get them." Spencer turned to head back to the pool and get Paige's bag.

Paige blinked slowly, not sure she was understanding, and shook her head. "I don't have keys. The janitor lets me in." She looked at Spencer. "How did you get in?"

Spencer placed her hands on her hips and chewed her bottom lip. "The doors were unlocked a few minutes ago." She looked around uneasily.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sooo...the janitor must have locked the doors, right?" Spencer looked uncertainly at Paige.

"Ummm…yeah…I guess." Paige was starting to shiver again.

Spencer crouched in front of her, placing her hands on Paige's knees, looking at her carefully. "How are you doing?"

Paige let her eyes slide closed and tipped her head back against the wall. "I'm just so tired." She sighed. "My head is spinning."

Spencer reached up and gave her shoulder a shake. "Paige, stay with me. You have to stay awake." She waited for Paige to focus on her then stood. " Good. Just sit tight for a minute. He's got to be close by. I'm going to find him and get him to let us out. Although, how he didn't realize we were still here is beyond me. Idiot."

Spencer walked back toward the pool leaving Paige, head drooping, sitting by the door. "Hey!" She called. "We're still in here. You need to come open the doors. Now." She added and heard her words bouncing off the shadowed walls. She waited for a few beats while she walked slowly around the pool listening for any sounds of movement, squinting into the darkness. "Hello? Please, we need to get out right away!" Her calls for help were met with silence.

"Oh, for the love…" She muttered as she headed back to the doors. "Alright, plan B...whoa, whoa, whoa…" She rushed to Paige who sat slumped on the bench and pushed her upright. "Paige, look at me."

"What?...I'm awake" Paige jerked upright wincing.

"I'm calling the police." Spencer grabbed her phone out of her pocket. "We need to get you some help." She swiped her cell on and frowned at it. "No signal? How is there no signal?"

"It's a dead zone." Paige mumbled.

"What?!" Spencer paced around holding her phone at different angles. "Are you kidding me? The whole pool?"

"Yeah...it's always been that way. It totally sucks….something to do with the construction or ventilation or something...I can't remember".

Spencer growled a sound of frustration and dropped onto the bench next to Paige. "Alright, let me think for a minute."

A few seconds ticked by. "Spencer…" Paige turned slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Spencer was lost in a train of thought.

"Why are you here?" Paige asked again. "I mean...don't get me wrong…" Paige continued. "...I'm totally grateful. If you hadn't pulled me out of the pool…" She shuddered and sucked in a breath.

"Um...I was looking for Emily, actually. I stopped by her house and her folks thought she might have been coming here to meet up with you." Spencer looked hard at Paige. "Paige, I didn't pull you out of the pool. You were on the ground when I found you….barely conscious…but definitely not in the water."

"No…" Paige shook her head. "...that can't be right. I was in the water. I remember…" the shivering increased. "...I couldn't reach the edge. Then someone grabbed me...pulled me out." She swallowed hard.

Spencer put an arm around her shoulders trying to rub some warmth back into her. "It wasn't me, Paige, and there wasn't anyone else here when I came in."

Paige frowned in concentration. "There was a girl...I think...in red." Paige shook her head again to try and clear it. "She was talking to me…" She trailed off and closed her eyes.

Spencer tensed at Paige's words. "What girl?"

"Um...I don't know now…" Paige tried to find the words. "...it's totally crazy." She laughed a little. "I must be concussed."

Spencer shifted on the bench and grasped Paige by the shoulders to turn her so they were facing each other. "No, Paige, tell me. It's important. Who did you see?"

Paige couldn't meet her eyes and stalled, playing with the zipper on her jacket. "I thought…" She licked her lips and shook her head slowly. "...I mean, it couldn't have been...but I thought it was...Ali...Alison." She finally finished and looked at Spencer to see her reaction.

Spencer stared at her for a moment and nodded slowly. "Yeah...it could have been." She replied. "We've suspected she's alive for awhile and…" She looked away briefly struggling herself with the words. "...over the last year we've all seen her...or thought we've seen her." Spencer continued. "What did she say to you?"

Paige opened her mouth to answer when the silence was broken with the deafening sound of a motor and metal grinding against metal. They both jumped and Paige covered her ears as the slamming metal sound continued and grew louder.

Spencer jumped up from the bench. "What the hell is that?" She shouted. "Come on." She helped Paige to her feet and they crept around the corner to peer into the pool area. They saw that the bleachers, retracted up against the wall when not in use, were coming down. When each level of the stadium seating slammed into place the noise was deafening and seemed to go on forever. "Who's doing that?"

Paige steadied herself against the wall and watched as the bottom level slammed down. The silence now was unnerving. She shook her head, her heart racing. "I have no idea." She breathed.

Spencer gripped Paige's arm, helping her walk and steadying herself at the same time, and led them closer to the bleachers. She scanned the area as they approached looking for some sign of someone in the room. They were almost to the bottom step when the motor kicked on again and the bleachers began their loud grinding path to fold back against the wall.

They jumped back a step. "We've got to get out of here." Spencer turned Paige to the glass doors leading into the school. "Come on. We'll go through the school and find a way out...or a phone."

They hurried over to the doors and tried them all. Locked. "Come on!" Spencer yelled in frustration at the doors. The bleachers ground to a stop against the wall plunging the pool area into silence once again. The only sound the girls rough breathing.

Paige looked around. "Let's go through the locker room." She eyed the door, a shadow against the wall in the dimly lit room. "We can get into the school from the other side."

They walked slowly toward the locker room door. The bleachers hadn't moved again but the silence failed to comfort them. Paige glanced at Spencer and was strengthened by the look of determination on her face. She didn't know what was going on. She felt dizzy, weak and scared but was thankful she wasn't alone.

"Spencer." She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm...um...glad you're here." Paige said.

Spencer stopped to look at her. She tried to give her a smile of encouragement. "Well...I'm not." She laughed a little. "But I guess I owe you after you saved my ass on Halloween last year." She continued walking toward the door. "I owe you for a lot of things, I guess."

"What do you mean?" Paige asked.

"Well, I was wrong about you, Paige." That seemed to be all Spencer was going to give for an explanation. After a beat she continued. "You were there for Emily when the rest of us weren't. You're good for Emily and I know she's good for you, too.

Paige stopped short. "What?" Spencer asked.

"Are you sure you didn't pull me from the pool?" Paige looked at her quizzically.

"Positive. Why?" Spencer returned her questioning gaze..

Paige breathed a shaky laugh. "That's pretty much what Alison said, too." Paige couldn't help another laugh. "You two must have taken the same class in back handed apologies."

Spencer smiled. "Yeah, I suppose so."

They reached the door and what little peace they had been able to achieve through conversation disappeared the moment Spencer raised her hand to push open the door


	4. Chapter 4

The rows of lockers appeared like dark columns rising from the floor to just a few feet from the ceiling. The girls stepped into the room silently and let the door swing shut behind them with a soft swish. There were no lights on at all and they stood for a moment, listening for sounds of movement and letting their eyes adjust to the barest of light.

"Can you see at all?" Spencer whispered.

"Barely." Came the reply. "But I know my way around so I should be able to get us out the other side without too much trouble." Paige took a staggering step and leaned heavily against the lockers. "I may need a hand straightening out, though." She managed a smile that Spencer probably couldn't see.

"Insert joke gay joke here?" Spencer countered and slipped an arm around Paige's waist for support. "Lead on, MacDuff."

The room, so familiar and manageable to Paige during the day and under normal circumstances, seemed to take on cavernous and maze like proportions in the dark and under threat.

They walked quietly up the left side of the lockers glancing to the right down each row as they passed. They were halfway to the front of the room when they heard a scraping sound on metal from behind them. Like someone was keying a car door. Or, in this case, a locker door. It stopped. They heard the whisper of movement and the scraping started again in a different row.

"Seriously?" Spencer turned toward the sound.

"Oh, God, someone's in here." Paige couldn't hide the fear in her voice.

Spencer tightened her grip around her. "Forget it, Paige. Let's just get out of here. They're just messing with us." She looked back over her shoulder. "If they had wanted to hurt us they would have done it already."

"Says the girl that didn't get bashed in the skull." Paige replied.

Spencer didn't have an answer to that and tugged her along. "Come on."

A few more steps toward the front and they heard locker doors start slamming open and closed. Farther away at first and then closer. So close they could have been in the next row. Paige's breathing was coming fast and shallow now as she squinted frantically down each row they passed.

"Take it easy, Paige. We're almost there." Spencer tried to hurry her along but as the slamming doors continued she could tell Paige was starting to unravel. "Hold it. Hold it. Stop here. I've had enough of this." Spencer led Paige into the row and eased her down onto the bench before she passed out. "Just breathe."

Spencer stood and faced the direction of the most recent, and nearest, crashing door. "Whoever you are" She yelled. "You've had your fun." She stepped up on the bench to try and see over the top but she wasn't tall enough. Anger replaced her fear temporarily. "Come on, you coward! Or are you afraid to face us."

Paige tugged on Spencer's pant leg. "Don't...let's just...get down, Spencer." Paige hissed.

The slamming stopped and the room was silent except for Paige's ragged breathing. Spencer waited a few more beats. "Okay, let's go." She got an arm around Paige and helped her back to her feet. "Alright?"

"Yeah." Paige's answer was all but drowned out by the sound of glass shattering and tinkling across the tile floor somewhere up ahead of them.

"What now?" Spencer breathed.

They crept along to the front of the room and peered around the last row of lockers. Paige couldn't see the door that led to the hallway but knew it was there against the far wall opposite the counter with the mirror.

Spencer took a step and glass crunched under her boot. She jerked her foot back in alarm. "Crap!" She squinted at the wall where the mirror should have been. "There goes our stealth mode."

"Not trying to hurt us, huh?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Spencer swept her foot across the floor and heard the skittering of fragments large and small.

"The door is only 30 feet away. Let's just go for it." Paige made a move toward the door and Spencer held her back by her waist.

"Paige…" She hissed and looked down. "You don't have any shoes on."

Paige seemed to consider this for a moment. "I'll be okay. Let's just go."

"Like hell!" Spencer moved to stand in front of her. "Get on my back."

"No way. Spencer, it's not that far…"

"It's going to seem a lot farther with shards of glass embedded in your heel. You've seen Die Hard, right? Totally brutal." She crouched down in front of Paige. "Don't worry. I'm stronger than I look."

Paige sighed and hopped up onto Spencer's back. Spencer shifter her weight and hooked Paige's legs under her arms to settle her comfortably. She started picking her way across the minefield of shattered glass. "At least we can take comfort knowing this idiot is in for years of bad luck." She tried for levity.

Ten feet from the other side the locker doors slammed again. Paige jerked reflexively at the sound causing Spencer to lose her balance and tilt to the side. Spencer threw her arm out to the counter to catch herself. She stifled a cry as glass cut deeply into her hand. She righted herself quickly, ignoring the sharp pain and the trickle of blood down her hand, and moved on to the door.

They reached the other side of the counter and, as soon as she quit feeling glass under her, set Paige gently on the floor. They were both breathing hard, from exertion and adrenaline.

Paige eyed the door out to the hallway warily. "Care to wager on what's behind door number two?"

Spencer squinted at it. "Well, with the way things have been going it's probably locked and we'll never find out."

"No way." replied Paige. "This one deadbolts from the inside." She moved to grab the handle and glanced back at Spencer.

"Do it." Spencer nodded cradling her hand to her chest.


	5. Chapter 5

Paige pulled the door open with a yank. Even the dim light from the hallway was momentarily blinding after the near total darkness of the locker room. Paige closed her eyes for a second and opened them to the silhouette of someone standing directly in the doorway.

She gasped and jumped back crashing into Spencer. "No!" She screamed and slammed the door throwing the deadbolt just as the person lunged at the door hitting the other side with a thud. She turned, pushing Spencer in front of her. "Move! Move!."

Spencer started back the way they came and Paige grabbed her arm to steer her down the opposite side of the lockers away from the glass. They ran, stumbling and breathing hard, to the back of the room. There was a faint red glow illuminating the back wall. The "No Exit' sign over the door to the showers.

Spencer dropped onto the bench in the last row and pulled Paige down beside her. "Who the hell was that?" She panted.

"I don't know." Paige shook her head and massaged her temple. The adrenaline making her head throb in time with the pounding of her heart. "I couldn't see but I'm pretty sure it was a man."

Spencer held her hand up to the light to check the damage. "Guess we need a new plan, huh?" She grimaced as she flexed her fingers.

"Let me see that." Paige took her hand gently examining it. "You've got a piece of glass embedded at the base of your thumb. It's deep."

"Yeah. Hurts like hell, too." Spencer winced at Paige's prodding.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to…" Paige felt terrible.

"It's okay, Paige. It wasn't your fault." Spencer stopped her.

"That needs to come out." Paige looked around briefly. "I'll be right back." She got slowly to her feet and disappeared around the row.

"Paige, don't!" Spencer called quietly. She held her breath as she waited for her to return listening to her moving quietly through the rows.

Paige slipped back into their aisle, one hand on the lockers for balance, waving a t-shirt in front of her. "People are always leaving stuff laying around." She gripped the abandoned t-shirt with her teeth and ripped it apart with her hands. After several attempts she managed to tear off one long strip.

She reached for Spencer's hand again. "Are you okay if I do this?"

"Er...don't you have a head injury?" Spencer hesitated.

"I can hardly see anyway so a little double vision isn't going to make any difference, right?" Paige replied.

"Are you kidding?" Spencer pulled further away.

"Yes...sort of...not really, no." Paige reached for her hand. "Ready?"

"Yep. On three?" Spencer gritted her teeth and extended her hand. "One…

Paige grasped her hand tightly and quickly pulled the glass in one firm, smooth motion along it's track of entry. "Three."

Spencer clenched her jaw and sucked in a breath trying to jerk her arm back. "Oh, God…."

Paige kept a grip on Spencer's hand as the blood flowed freely down her arm and dripped onto the bench between them. "Hold on." She wound the strip of cloth several times around her thumb and wrist snugly and tied it off. "That should be okay for now. You're going to need stitches though." Paige eyed Spencer and tilted her head. "Are you okay?"

Spencer let out a long breath. "Yep. Awesome. It didn't hurt a bit." She clutched her bandaged hand to her chest.

"You know, Spencer, you're not the only one of us guilty of misjudging people." Paige, barely able to make out the girls face, reached out to put a hand on her knee to connect with her.

"Let me guess." Spencer sighed. "You thought I was a narcissistic, obsessive, self aggrandizing, control freak?"

"Well, yeah." Paige answered startled. "I probably wouldn't have phrased it quite like that but..."

"Well, you're right." Spencer interrupted. "I am all those things."

Paige gripped Spencer's leg to stop her. "And so much more, Spencer. I mean, I've never met someone so determined, so confident in everything she does and so fiercely protective of those she loves." She gave a little laugh. " It was a little scary when I was on the receiving end of that but now" She paused. "there's no one I'd rather have in my corner if say...I don't know….something bad were to happen to me."

Spencer smiled crookedly. "So, I see my elaborate ploy to win you over worked?"

"Oh, God, please, tell me that's true." Paige smiled back.

Spencer covered Paige's hand with hers and squeezed. "I wish I could. I can tell you this, though, we're going to be okay and we're getting out of here."

"You have a plan?" Paige asked hopefully.

"We're going back to the pool."

Paige's face fell. "That's your plan? We already know we can't get out that way."

"Well, we can't get out this way either and, at least, in there we can see." Spencer replied.

Paige seemed to consider this for a moment. "I suppose that's as good a plan as any."

They helped each other to their feet and headed to the door that led back to the pool. Paige pushed open the door a crack and listened. She heard the soft whir of the pool filters and then something else. Something sliding or dragging across the pool deck.

"Do you hear that?" She whispered to Spencer.

"Uh huh." She whispered back. "What do you think?"

"Only one way to find out." Paige pushed the door open just in time to see a dark clad figure push a body into the pool with a loud splash.

"No!" Paige yelled giving giving themselves away.

The dark figure seemed to stare at them for a long moment before sprinting silently off toward the exit.

Paige made a move toward the pool but Spencer had a firm grip on her arm. "Paige, no!"

"We have to, Spencer." She gestured to the pool. "Someone's in trouble!" Paige tugged her arm free and staggered towards the pool.

"Yeah, I know..." Spencer called as she started after her. "...us."


	6. Chapter 6

Paige made it to the edge of the pool nearest the floating form before the deck beneath her feet tilted sickeningly. She stumbled, disoriented, as her legs buckled and she went down, hard, on her side with a grunt of pain.

Spencer saw Paige struggling but couldn't get to her in time before she crashed to the deck. She skidded to her knees next to her friend. Paige's eyes were open but glassy and unfocused as she tried to lever herself up. Spencer held her shoulders down gently. "Don't move, Paige. You need to stay still."

"No…" Paige replied weakly. "I have... to...help…" Her eyes rolled toward the pool.

"It's okay." Spencer soothed. "I'll get them." She jumped up and kicked her boots off eyeing the body floating face down toward the shallow end. She slipped into the water without a splash. It came up to her mid chest and the bottom was just starting to slope down deeper on her left. She held her arms out of the water for balance and churned her way over to the body. The person was floating unmoving, dark hair fanning out around them, and appeared to be wearing a dark warm up suit similar to the one Paige had on.

As soon as she was near enough Spencer reached out for an arm to pull them in. Her fingers grasped around their wrist and she immediately knew something wasn't right. "What the hell?" She grabbed onto the body and touched the face, turned toward her, in disbelief.

Paige had propped herself up on her arms at the edge of the pool. "Spencer...come on!" She waved her arm at them. "What are you waiting for?"

Spencer turned toward her tugging the body. "It's not real."

"What?" Paige felt the last of her strength draining and stared stupidly at Spencer.

"It's fake! A joke! A dummy!" She brought her fist down in the water angrily, spraying water in a wide arc, as she raged. "Are you kidding me?!." She shouted and immediately bit off a string of curses as she realized she should be thanking God it was not a real person.

"What?" Paige asked again uncomprehending. "I...don't…"

Just then they heard footsteps behind them and both girls turned, mouths agape, as Emily walked in. "There you are. Paige what are you doing here so late?!" She stopped short as she took in the scene in front of her. Paige lying at the edge of the pool and Spencer, fully clothed, standing chest deep in the water holding onto, what appeared to be a CPR dummy.

"What's going on?" She closed the distance and crouched down next to Paige gently touching the darkening bruise on the side of her head. "Oh, my, God. Paige, are you alright? What happened?"

Paige continued to stare numbly at Emily. "Spencer needs stitches…" She replied confused. She blinked repeatedly as if not certain Emily was truly there.

Spencer managed to collect herself quickly and slogged her way back to the edge of the pool dragging the dummy behind her. "How did you get in here, Em?" She asked as she levered herself out of the pool, water streaming off her clothes.

Emily looked, baffled, between the two of them not understanding at all. "Um...the door is propped open." She gestured behind her to the doors out to the parking lot.

Before anyone could speak again the door to the girls locker room burst open and the janitor came rushing up to them breathless. "Are you girls alright?"

Spencer, not bothering to enjoy any measure of relief that their ordeal was over, skipped right to enraged. She gathered herself into the person Paige described in the locker room. "Where the hell have you been..." She barked making a point to look dramatically at the name on his shirt. "...Carl? Didn't you hear us calling for help?"

"Um...no." He looked sheepish as he fingered the headphones dangling around his neck. "Music helps pass the time."

"Did you see anyone?" Spencer fired back. "Who else was here tonight?" She demanded.

"No." He got defensive. "I don't know. Just you two." He gestured to Emily. "And now you." He carried on rapidly without taking a breath. "I brought the bleachers down to clean under them then I turned the lights out to change some bulbs over the counter in the girls locker room. I lost my balance in the dark and fell into the mirror and it shattered. I went to get something to clean it up and when I got back you two were standing in the doorway hollering to beat the band." He shuffled his feet. "Damn near scared the piss out of me."

"That... was you?" Paige commented weakly from flat on her back. Her head was spinning and she couldn't keep up with the conversation. "That doesn't...make sense.." She struggled to sit up and Emily put a supportive hand around her shoulders. "Spencer, there had to be someone else." She pleaded and couldn't help the tears which began to fall silently.

"I know, Paige, try not to worry about it right now." Spencer glared at the janitor believing to her core that he was somehow involved.

The janitor kept on with his rambling explanation. "...then I had to go find the key because you two crazy bi…."

"Forget it!" Spencer growled at him. "I'll deal with you later." She turned to Emily who was still crouched down next to Paige. "Will you pull your car up to the door, Em? We need to get Paige to the hospital."

Emily looked up at her, eyes wide with confusion and concern. "Spencer, what is going on?"

"I'll explain later." She bent down on the other side of Paige. "Just get the car." She reached across Paige and gave Emily's arm a squeeze. "Hurry, Em."

Emily looked worriedly at Paige for a moment but trusted she would be safe with Spencer for the five minutes it would take to pull the car around. "Yeah, okay. I'm going."

Spencer watched Emily go then turned her attention to Paige. "Time to go, my friend." She pulled Paige's arm across her shoulders and slipped her arm around Paige's waist to stand.

Paige groaned at the movement and her head rolled to rest on Spencer's shoulder. The last of the adrenaline, apparently keeping her upright for so long, drained out of her body leaving her dizzy, disoriented and exhausted.

Spencer absently noticed the janitor flitting around them grumbling to himself. "Christ, is that blood on the floor?" He glared at the trail Spencer was leaving behind her, the pool water having opened up the gash in her hand which was bleeding steadily from beneath the sodden bandage. She hadn't even noticed and she didn't care.

"Hey!" He called. "Who's going to clean all of this up?"

Spencer ignored him as she walked, supporting Paige, out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Spencer sat next to Paige's hospital bed, lost in thought, picking at the bandage around her left hand. She had filled Emily in on what had happened, from the time she arrived, from the backseat of the car where she sat with Paige trying to keep her awake. Paige's eyes had kept drifting closed as her head lolled against the window. Every time Spencer had to shake Paige awake calling her name Emily nearly drove off the road worrying about her through the rear view mirror. It's a wonder all of them didn't show up to the hospital concussed.

An hour and twelve stitches later Spencer was sitting, left hand wrapped up tight, in an orange plastic chair at the side of Paige's bed charged, along with Emily, with waking her up every hour.

Spencer played back the events of the evening trying to reconcile the timeline with what Carl, the janitor, had told them. She didn't believe for a second that he hadn't been helping A. If A was even responsible for what happened. It seemed a particularly elaborate and violent attack but, then again, Hanna had been run down by a car, the other girls nearly so, Emily poisoned in multiple ways and she, herself, nearly killed or driven mad. It wasn't a stretch to believe tonight's events were definitely in A's wheelhouse. Why, Paige though? It seemed a lot of effort for A to go to for a peripheral player. She wondered if it was even about Paige at all or another way to get to Emily.

She looked up when she heard Paige take in a shuddering breath and reached to grab her hand. She gave Paige's hand a squeeze to let her know she wasn't alone as she struggled to open her eyes.

"Hey, welcome back." She said softly when she saw Paige's eyes crack open.

Paige furrowed her brow in pain and squinted at her. "Spencer." She rasped.

"Yep. Still here." She grabbed the plastic cup of water off the side table and placed the straw to Paige's lips. "Here. This will help."

After a couple of sips Paige dropped her head back on the pillow with a sigh. "Is Emily here?"

"Yeah, she's here. She went out to the nurse's station to make a few phone calls. Your parents, her parents…" Spencer thought for a moment. "God, I wish I could get her to call my parents…. and to let the girls know what happened."

Paige frowned in concentration. "What did happen?" she asked.

Spencer looked at her alarmed. "You don't remember?"

"No...I remember." Paige shook her head. "Most of it, I think. I just don't….understand."

"Well, that makes two of us." Spencer answered frowning. "I wish I had an answer for you. All I can say is I'm sorry this happened and that you got hurt." Spencer had every intention of getting to the bottom of this. She would start first thing Monday at school and find out the story with the night shift janitor and his role in all of this. She didn't want to involve Paige in her plans. She had been through enough tonight. Spencer tried for a more positive tone. "The important thing is you're going to be fine. I overheard the nurses talking and you have a concussion but no serious damage. I think they're letting you out of here tomorrow." She finished with a small smile.

"What about you?" Paige gestured to Spencer's bandaged hand.

"Oh, it's fine." Spencer dismissed the injury. "A few stitches but my career as a flautist won't be affected."

Paige stared at her. "You play the flute?"

"No." Spencer laughed. "I was kidding. I'm fine, really."

Emily came in and, seeing Paige awake and laughing with Spencer, smiled warmly. "Glad you two haven't lost your sense of humor." She sat down on the other side of Paige gripping her hand tightly in both of hers.

Paige turned to focus on Emily. "Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." Emily answered.

Spencer, aware she was no longer needed, hand throbbing and feeling the stress of the night way more than she was letting on, rose to leave. "Are you two going to be okay?" She asked from the doorway.

Emily turned and gave her a smile. "Yeah, we're going to be fine."

"Spencer." Paige called after her. Spencer turned and Paige shrugged, eyes glittering with unshed tears, as if she had forgotten what she was going to say. "Thank you." She finally managed.

Spencer gave her a lopsided grin . "It was a pleasure." She couldn't resist saying it and she walked out with Paige's knowing smile warming her back.

Spencer leaned up against a wall outside the hospital waiting for Toby to pick her up. She breathed deeply in the cool night air wanting, desperately, to clear her mind of all that had happened tonight. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath when someone tugged on the back of her shirt.

"Hey, Lady?" A young boy looked up at her. "You dropped this over there." He handed her an envelope and scampered off before she could say anything.

"Hey, kid." She shouted after him. "This isn't mine…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the nondescript white envelope with her name printed on the front. She spun around scanning the area for anyone she recognized who might have left this for her. Her heart raced as the realization of the most likely sender sunk in.

She opened the envelope and sucked in a breath as she pulled out a single photograph. It was a dimly lit photo of Paige swimming at school. The time stamp indicated it was taken at 7:12 p.m. earlier tonight. She turned the photo over and swore under her breath, scanning the area again, knowing that someone would be watching her reaction as she read the note.

The pleasure was all mine. Let's do it again soon.

-A


End file.
